Trump Imposes $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas annually

In a move that has sent shockwaves through the global tech and healthcare sectors, U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation imposing a staggering $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applications, a massive jump from the current $1,500 administrative charge.

The announcement was made during a White House event on Friday, where U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick revealed that leading American companies had already been briefed on the decision.

“A hundred thousand dollars a year for H-1B visas, and all of the big companies are on board,” Lutnick declared. “Train Americans. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs.”

The H-1B programme allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialized fields such as medicine, technology, finance, and engineering. It has long been a lifeline for skilled professionals from countries like India, China, and Nigeria seeking to work in the United States.

With the new fee structure, that pathway has suddenly become far more expensive, especially for smaller companies and independent applicants. The new policy is expected to significantly affect Nigerian professionals, particularly doctors and tech talent — who often rely on the H-1B visa route to secure high-paying jobs in the U.S.

Industry experts warn that the sharp increase could price out thousands of potential applicants. “This is not just a policy change; it’s a deterrent,” said a U.S.-based immigration lawyer. “For many international workers, this fee will make pursuing opportunities in the U.S. financially unrealistic.”

The U.S. tech industry has historically been one of the biggest users of the H-1B programme. Government data shows that roughly two-thirds of H-1B jobs are in computer-related fields. In the first half of 2025 alone, Amazon secured over 10,000 H-1B visas, while Microsoft and Meta each received more than 5,000 approvals.

Critics of the new policy argue that such a steep fee will make it harder for companies to recruit the talent they need, potentially driving innovation and investment to other countries with more immigration-friendly policies.

“The U.S. risks losing its edge,” one Silicon Valley executive told reporters. “We are competing globally for talent. If it becomes too expensive or complicated to hire the best engineers here, we’ll simply build teams elsewhere.”

The Politics Behind the Move

Trump’s latest proclamation is part of a broader immigration clampdown. In recent months, Washington has:

• Introduced a $15,000 bond for some tourist and business visas.
• Announced a travel ban on 12 countries.
• Imposed a 15% tariff on imports from Nigeria and 66 other nations, as part of an escalating global trade war.

Supporters of the new fee say it will encourage American companies to invest in training and hiring U.S. workers rather than relying on cheaper foreign labour.

Elon Musk, one of the few prominent tech leaders to support H-1B reform, has previously argued that the programme should prioritize “exceptional talent” but avoid being “abused to undercut wages.”

For now, Nigerians and other international applicants are left scrambling to assess what the new cost means for their dreams of working in the U.S. Immigration experts expect application numbers to drop sharply in the coming year, and some predict legal challenges to the policy.

Whether this move will achieve Trump’s stated goal of “putting Americans first” remains to be seen, but for thousands of skilled professionals worldwide, the dream of living and working in the United States just became significantly harder and far more expensive.

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